Our new junior roving reporter Will Yates has been at the preview of How to Train Your Dragon. Here is his verdict.

“How to Train Your Dragon” has long been a favourite book of my sister, and so it was with a mixture of excitement and curiosity that she accompanied me to see the film recently. It tells the story of Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), a weedy adolescent on an island of thuggish, dragon-fighting Vikings, who befriends an injured dragon, Toothless, and so is forced to grapple with the expectation that, as son of the chief, he will grow up to be a champion dragon-slayer, which plays off against his unlikely friendship with the fearsome dragon in the forest. Throw in a token feisty Viking girl (America Ferrera) and the picture is complete.

The first thing to note is that fans of the quirky style of the books may be disappointed. Where in the book Toothless is a midget among dragons, here he is a Night Fury - the most dangerous of all dragons. The film also loses some of the charm of the book’s simple animations by opting for dazzling 3D, which is amazing in its own right, but does not feel the same as the books. However, don’t let this put you off - despite being a huge fan of the book, my sister was not disappointed by the film, and it really is great fun - the film is exciting without being overly scary, and you find yourself rooting for Hiccup in the face of the adversity of his village.

Overall, then, a good film in its own right, but not quite the same as the book.